Darrah Walker
Lantern Staff
After the school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, President Donald Trump began to defend the idea to arm school personnel. Just like the Kansas House Bill (HB) 2042 that would allow 18-year-olds to conceal carry, controversy has risen across the United States regarding arming school personnel.
Trump has argued on Twitter about how the safest conclusion to stop school shootings is to arm some school personnel.
“…highly trained expert teachers will be allowed to conceal carry…” Trump tweeted shortly after the Parkland, Florida, shooting. “If schools are mandated to be gun free zones, violence and danger are given an open invitation to enter. Almost all school shootings are in gun-free zones. Cowards will only go where there is no deterrent!”
Teachers around America have expressed a difference of opinion on the issue. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution conducted a survey among teachers in Georgia. When asked if they would carry a gun, 53 percent of the teachers said no. Even with an offered pay raise, 70 percent of the teachers would not change their answer.
“I oppose “gun-free” zones in general and do not think they make the public safer in the current cultural climate,” Robert Clark, an assistant professor of Social Science, said.
The Butler Lantern conducted a survey on Twitter targeting students and staff to learn if they are for or against teachers conceal carrying. The results showed that out of 64 voters, 69 percent are against arming school personnel. Director of Public Safety Jake Kenney believes that properly trained teachers will relieve concerns. Other faculty members believe that there are better solutions to keeping students safe. He mentions that Butler is one of the only community colleges that has armed officers and a certified law enforcement agency readily available.
“I don’t think teachers should be asked to put themselves in that situation,” Michael Cissell , a professor of English, said. “Personally, I don’t want to be responsible for killing a human being [in school shooting situations].”
Besides arming teachers, there are other ways to keep students and staff safe. Presently, a voluntary training, ALICE (known as alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate), is offered and provides knowledge on how to keep safe and if needed to fight back in an effective way.
Questions rise as to whom will be responsible for deciding which teacher will be armed. Several things are needed to be worked out before a teacher can be allowed to carry.
“I have questions,” Cissell said. “ Who arms the teachers, who trains the teachers to use these weapons, who pays for it and will there be a name tag on my vest?”
Trump has made it known that background checks will become strengthened in hopes that a firearm will be in the appropriate hands. There has not been a law fully made to arm teachers, but Trump is pushing to allow the states to decide if it will be allowed or not.